Switching from pellets to powder

truthbetold

Four Pointer
CVA optima about 5 years old. I didn't have a misfire hunting until yesterday. Buddy that borrows it claims 3 hang fires and clean misses. I shoot one yesterday a.m. at 15 yards and have a hang fire and still kill him. Bullet looks undamaged found through ribs and one lung, stuck up against opposite rib cage.

Already bought the blackhorn 209 breech plug thinking I could use it with pellets this year but after getting it and looking at it, I wonder if that would be wise. Anyone tried it?

Switching to powder next year and will do my due diligence sighting in and researching powder and primer combos that work best.

Again, anyone tried this breech plug with pellets? Also, any tips for primer and powder combos next year are appreciated. Plan to do that shopping in the summer, I know they recommend a pretty strict combination and I may have to find a new use for the Winchester 777 caps.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
BH209 powder well is fairly wide and deep. The flash would be pretty far away from a pellet.
Why not use 777 or Pyrodex? Those loose powders would work as well.
 

truthbetold

Four Pointer
BH209 powder well is fairly wide and deep. The flash would be pretty far away from a pellet.
Why not use 777 or Pyrodex? Those loose powders would work as well.

I may. Got the blackhorn plug so was just thinking of getting the blackhorn powder. Never used any of it so that research will come later.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I may. Got the blackhorn plug so was just thinking of getting the blackhorn powder. Never used any of it so that research will come later.
I use BH209 in my Optima with the BH209 breechplug. The ignition with Cordite primers is amazing.
You'll love BH209 once you're set up.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
I use BH209 in my Optima with the BH209 breechplug. The ignition with Cordite primers is amazing.
You'll love BH209 once you're set up.
Yes. Totally. I switched this year due to powder requirement in Colorado.

Couldn’t be happier with loose Blackhorn.
Cleaning is unbelievably quick and easy.
No flash or smoke at the shot.
No stinking sulfur.

Hyper accurate out of my gun with 110 grains and a 270gr bullet.

Had to tinker with a lot more bullets when I used pellets. This gun wouldn’t shoot worth a crap with 2 pellets and a 270 grain bullet.

Turned out a 220gr was best with 2 pellets.

Now the 270s shoot great over 110 grains of blackhorn.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
I may. Got the blackhorn plug so was just thinking of getting the blackhorn powder. Never used any of it so that research will come later.

What happened to your old plug? Why don't you use it with your pellets until you are ready to try BH209? If the misfires are occurring with the old breech plug, you have a dirty plug problem.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Put in BH 209 breech plug.

Add 100 gr. of BH 209. Use 209 shotgun primers

Shoot 3 times.

Go kill something.

Switching powders isn't that hard. Skip the research, and just do it. It works, it's clean, it's good stuff. Just make sure you get shotgun reloading primers. CCI and Winchester both worked well for me. There wasn't a difference in accuracy, but the win's had to be slammed shut in my Pro Hunter.



It sounds to me like your pellets are bad, and I bet if your buddy borrowed your gun, he probably borrowed your pellets too? If your bullet was not deformed, then you did not get full ignition of the powder or velocity. You're lucky to have killed the deer. Ditch the pellets. You can grab some loose powder or switch to BH209 depending on how much time you have.
 

truthbetold

Four Pointer
What happened to your old plug? Why don't you use it with your pellets until you are ready to try BH209? If the misfires are occurring with the old breech plug, you have a dirty plug problem.

That is what I am doing. I was originally under a false understanding of how the 209 plug was built, but yes, until I switch over I'm using the original plug with 777 primers and pellets.

I think this last misfire was damp pellets.
 

truthbetold

Four Pointer
Put in BH 209 breech plug.

Add 100 gr. of BH 209. Use 209 shotgun primers

Shoot 3 times.

Go kill something.

Switching powders isn't that hard. Skip the research, and just do it. It works, it's clean, it's good stuff. Just make sure you get shotgun reloading primers. CCI and Winchester both worked well for me. There wasn't a difference in accuracy, but the win's had to be slammed shut in my Pro Hunter.



It sounds to me like your pellets are bad, and I bet if your buddy borrowed your gun, he probably borrowed your pellets too? If your bullet was not deformed, then you did not get full ignition of the powder or velocity. You're lucky to have killed the deer. Ditch the pellets. You can grab some loose powder or switch to BH209 depending on how much time you have.
Thanks for the info. Will definitely start there next year. Only taking the ml maybe once this week before rifle is in (central) so not in a rush to switch now.

Oh I know how lucky I was to put him down. If he wasn't so close I know it would have been a clean miss. Surprisingly it was one of my shortest tracking jobs without a heart shot.

Again, thanks.
 
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